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The Inexorable Causal Relationship Between CO2 and Temperature | Power Line

Posted on September 18, 2011 by John Hinderaker in Climate

The Inexorable Causal Relationship Between CO2 and Temperature

Climate alarmists would have you believe that the quantity of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the sole determinant (if pressed, they will say the primary determinant) of changes in global temperatures. Actually, however, both the proportion of CO2 in the Earth’s atmosphere and the Earth’s temperatures have varied widely over the planet’s history, with no apparent correlation between the two. The point is illustrated by this graph, based on data from C.R. Scotese and R.A. Berner:

The idea that CO2 operates as a kind of thermostat, so that by impoverishing ourselves we can cool down the planet, is so silly that it is remarkable that so many have been duped into believing it.